Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia, Volume 2Grey, George
History
Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia, Volume 2
Grey, George
Natural history -- Australia -- Western Australia; Western Australia -- Discovery and exploration
These changes were not unmarked by the Overlanders. Those symptoms of
uneasiness which always precede new eras of events began to exhibit
themselves at both ends of the proposed line of communication. My
official situation enabled me greatly to forward these, and all persons
who landed at the Sound on their passage to South Australia recognised
the advantages to be derived from shipping stock to it from Adelaide, and
thus avoiding the passage to Swan River round Cape Leeuwin; these persons
carried numerous representations to this effect to some of the principal
stock-proprietors of South Australia; and at the same time Dr. Harris,
one of the oldest and most adventurous of the Swan River settlers, drove
a flock of sheep overland from King George's Sound to the inland
districts of the Swan River, thus demonstrating the feasibility of this
part of the plan. The news of his safe arrival at Swan River had only
just reached the Sound when Mr. Eyre arrived in Princess Royal Harbour
with a vessel laden with sheep; he was followed in a few days by
Lieutenant Mundy, who came in a larger one laden with horned stock and
sheep; and they immediately despatched another vessel for 1000 more
sheep.
STATE OF THE CATTLE MARKET THERE.
Thus was a sort of communication established between the two colonies;
but the profits arising from the sale of stock brought in a vessel were
in a great measure absorbed by the expenses of transport, and in the
winter season the passage is too rough to allow of the risk of shipping
stock. Were they driven overland, instead of being transported by sea,
horned stock could be sold at about 5 pounds per head, and sheep for 15
shillings per head less. Moreover the price of the different colonial
markets would be equalised, and new settlers in all the colonies would
start with an equal chance; whereas at present if two settlers with equal
means go the one to Western and the other to Southern Australia, for
every 100 head of horned stock and 100 head of sheep that the settler in
Western Australia can buy with his capital the settler in Southern
Australia can buy 200 head of horned cattle and 800 of sheep; this
scarcely appears to create so vast a difference between the two as it
really does until we regard the relative position of the two settlers at
the end of some given term of years, for instance five; they would then
stand thus:
(TABLE OF RELATIVE VALUES OF SOUTHERN AND WESTERN AUSTRALIAN STOCK.)
GENERAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE SPREAD OF COMMERCE AND EMIGRATION.
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